Abstract
The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi (Georgia) has yielded an exceptionally well-preserved and morphologically diverse sample of cranial and postcranial remains of early Homo within a rich archeological and faunal context. This unique ensemble offers new comparative perspectives on the origin and dispersal of our own genus in Africa and Asia. Here we ask how patterns of morphological diversity within the
Dmanisi paleopopulation, and between Dmanisi and African/Asian H. erectus, are related to processes of hominin phylogeography. Variation in size and shape within
the Dmanisi sample is considerable and, like in modern human populations, a large proportion of it can be related to variation in basic developmental processes. This perspective has several implications for the interpretation of H.erectus sensu lato: (1)at its lower (Plio-Pleistocene) boundary, separation from early Homo (cf. habilis)becomes increasingly difficult; (2) during the Pleistocene, links between Dmanisi and East Asian forms are probably closer than with Africa; (3) at its upper boundary
(Pleisto-Holocene), H. floresiensis is plausible as a paedomorphic dwarf from.
Zollikofer, C P